Acetylene is known to be explosive when pressurized above 15 psig. Therefore, storage and transportation of acetylene presents a set of challenges. One way to overcome these challenges is to dissolve acetylene in acetone, contained in a metal cylinder that is filled with porous material. Acetone is commonly used for such purpose because acetylene is highly soluble in acetone. One volume of liquid acetone can absorb twenty-five volumes of gaseous acetylene at temperatures of about 15° C. under atmospheric pressure and will continue to absorb an additional twenty-five volumes of acetylene for every additional atmosphere of pressure to which acetylene is subjected (The Encyclopedia Britannica: A Dictionary of Arts, Sciences, Literature and General Information, Hugh Chisholm, University Press 1910). Further, an acetylene gas stream recovered from an acetone solution carries a substantial amount of acetone vapor.
Overall, improved methods of treating acetylene gas prior to use in semiconductor processing is desired.